Assassin’s Apprentice cover art

Assassin’s Apprentice

The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1

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Assassin’s Apprentice

By: Robin Hobb
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
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About this listen

The first volume in Robin Hobb’s internationally bestselling Farseer series.

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.

Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

©2012 Robin Hobb (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Animals Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction Military Political

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Critic reviews

'Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers … what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics.'
The Times

‘In today’s crowded fantasy market Robin Hobb’s books are like diamonds in a sea of zircons’
George R.R. Martin

‘Hobb is superb’ Conn Iggulden

‘Hobb is a remarkable storyteller’ Guardian

‘This is a historical novel with a sly touch of magic. The first in the Farseer trilogy, this book will get new readers hooked on a series that recalls HBO’s Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings’ Telegraph
All stars
Most relevant  
This is a great start to the trilogy with great characters and a strong plot, not this first time I have read or listened to thia one and suspect it won't be the last.

A great start to trilogy or to whole farseer saga

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Great story very gripping from start to finish. It took me a while to get used to the narrator but got used to him in the end.

Top Class Fantasy

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Would you listen to Assassin’s Apprentice again? Why?

I will definitely listen again. However, I do think that the narration was a little inconsistent. This is not a deal breaker though as the narrator does a fantastic job of conveying the overall atmosphere of the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character was Molly.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Paul Boehmer?

Very Likely

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Narration was a little inconsistent

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Great story that really dragged me in. I'm looking forward to book 2. shame about the quality of the audio.

Great story. Bad quality sound.

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Sigh. It seems so often that I write this (or similar) titles to my reviews. I’m a huge fan of Robin Hobb’s books - all of them bursting with intrigue, and (a rarity for the genre) well-rounded characters. Highly recommend the story. However, this narrator had such a strange accent that I kept getting lifted out of the plot as I tried to place it. I even looked the narrator up - and found he is actually American - and his other books are read in his natural voice - this goes some way to explaining his weird “English” accent, but doesn’t explain why he chose to attempt it. His pronunciation is a sort of hybrid of 1950s “bbc” English, and the transatlantic drawl you get from Loyd Grossman. Fairly off putting.
By about half way through I was able to get over it (after my research!) and listen to the story - so I would only recommend if you are willing to wait it out. If you are easily distracted by these things I recommend the print / kindle version instead :) it’s definitely worth reading.

Great story, unsettling narration

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It has taken me a while to find this book! After reading reviews about the narrators strange pronunciation of words, and how irritating it is, I passed it by many times. I am delighted that I took the chance and downloaded 'The assassin's apprentice' eventually, as the story is wonderful. The book is beautifully written and has great characters that I desperately wanted to know what happened to! It's the kind of book that made me go to bed early and listen for hours. Paul Boehmers narration is a bit peculiar at the start. his pronounciation of some words is downright bizzare- for example ,the word 'sausages', should be pronounced ' sossagis',but is pronounced 'sauce a ges' by Boehmer. There are many jarring examples of his odd pronounciations, oddly again,this disappears half way through the book and he actually ends up as a pretty good narrator. I loved this story, and downloaded the second book before I had finished the first. A highly recommended book!

Don't get put off by reviews of narrator!

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This book is a work of art. Never before I have felt so much like I was in the story itself. I recommend this book higher than any other I have read

The best book ever

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Coming across this series as a reader was an amazing thing. This is a work of outstanding originality and Robin Hobb deserves to be mentioned alongside Abercrombie and Rothfuss, as authors who redefine and reinvent genres.

The audiobook version doesn't disappoint at all. Some reviewers have passed comment about Paul Boehmer's language affectations. I am part way through the second novel now and honestly, it isn't an issue. You can tell when he starts a new day's recordings though! The contrivances in his voice actually give it a quaint and antiquated feel. Besides which, with source material this good, it would be very hard to get it wrong. I do wonder how truly amazing it would have been if they had given the performance duties to Stephen Pacey.

Definitely worth your investment.

Truly Original

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What made the experience of listening to Assassin's Apprentice the most enjoyable?

The story

What did you like best about this story?

It was unexpected and I was kept surprised until the end.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Excellent story, but having read other reviews before I bought this, I have to agree with them. I enjoyed the story and look forward to the next and will put up with the heavy Emphasis on Almost Every Word in a sentence, read Painfully slowly, as I now download the next in the trilogy.

ponderous narration

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If you could sum up Assassin’s Apprentice in three words, what would they be?

This series of books is brilliant, and splits off into other story lines with the ships and rain wild series. The first narrator doesn't fit the character and they have about four or more through the first series which is a little annoying but the store and content is so well written that you can easily get past the changing voices.
I have listened to all that Robin Hobb has on here now and highly recommend her work.

a good six months of listening :)

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